The prevalence of IDD in Albania based on biochemical indicators

Albania is the country where the reserves of iodine in the natural environment accessible to man mainly through food and water are limited. This study, carried out in 1993, gived the details of the National Sturvey for assessment the prevalence of IDD in Albania. Urine samples were randomly collected from 2395 children 8-10 years old at 32 cluster sites and were analysed in specialised laboratories in Germany. The results showed that based on the frequency distribution of iodine excretion in children's urine, 62.7% of them demonstrated the severe iodine deficiency 29.1% moderate, 5.5% mild and only 2.8% of the children had the sufficient iodine intake. The median levels of the uriary iodine excretion were between 0.2-4.9 μg/dl, what has indicated that Albanian people suffer from moderate and severe iodine deficiency in all parts of the country.